Indian Railways' catering arm, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) took a significant step on World Environment Day, introduces bio-degradable cutlery made from sugarcane in some premium trains

New Delhi: On World Environment Day, host country India, took a significant green step – introduces eco-friendly measures in Indian Railways. Informing about the same, Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal took to social media and said, “A Small Step to Beat Plastic Pollution: On World Environment Day, Indian Railways has started using fully biodegradable packages in four Shatabdi and four Rajdhani trains from Delhi, contributing towards a greener planet.”

View Minister Piyush Goyal’s World Environment Day Message

A Small Step to Beat Plastic Pollution: On #WorldEnvironmentDay, Indian Railways has started using fully biodegradable packages in 4 Shatabadi and 4 Rajadhani trains from Delhi, contributing towards a greener planet. pic.twitter.com/ILcwHN1wgK

Passengers on premium trains will be served meals on eco-friendly disposable plates instead of polymer ones, as a part of the Railways drive to go green. This will boost Sugarcane industry. pic.twitter.com/5pv3XxhEA4

The eco-friendly cutlery is made from bagasse, the fibrous remains left behind after extracting sugarcane juice. Products made from bagasse require a month to two to compost and during that degradation process, they provide natural ingredients back to the environment. Moreover, bagasse products are grease, cut and heat-resistant and so it can be used in the microwave easily. These are also firm and can hold a reasonable amount of weight.

A statement released by the railways said, “Provision will be made to collect the used packaging which will then be processed for disposal through composting to ensure environmental sustainability.”

In the coming months, the Indian Railways plan to wean away from the use of polymer plates and go green completely.

This is not the first time railways have introduced green cutlery, earlier this year, Indian Railways introduced eco-friendly plates on a trial basis on Sealdah Rajdhani.